Oranges are a great source of Vitamin C and are also natural coolants. They also help to boost the immune system and improves the blood circulation.
The only problem is that oranges are abundant in winter – when you want something hot!!! And come summer, poooooofff!!!!! No oranges!!!! The only time I think Mother Nature messed up!
So, I planned to prepare some tasty homemade orange squash for this summer, beforehand. The ones which are available at supermarkets are loaded with preservatives, which is definitely not a healthy summer drink options for kids.
You can serve this tasty orange squash to toddlers and kids. This is not recommended for kids below 1 year, as the natural sugar from the oranges is also sometimes too much for them.
So, I wanted to try preserving fruit drinks which can be relished during summers. This orange squash recipe is for all the mommies like me, who prefer to give natural and home made products to their kids. This drink is the best choice to beat the heat.
I made this orange squash by using the sweet variety of local oranges in India called “kinnu”. Make sure you buy the sweetest one, this will give natural sweetness to the drink. I was able to make approximately half liters of squash using 1.5 Kgs of oranges.
Recipe for Homemade Orange Squash
Use the freshest oranges you can find! use organic oranges, if you can get your hands on them! Use organic or raw sugar instead of plain white sugar.
- 1 Kg of Oranges (Pick the sweetest ones)
- 500 grams (Organic Sugar or brown sugar or raw sugar)
- 500 grams Water
- 1-2 Tablespoon of fresh lemon Juice
- A pinch of Saffron
- Take a pan and dissolve water and sugar and allow it to boil for 4-5 minutes.
- Once the sugar syrup starts to boil, add fresh lemon juice to it and stir well.
- Reduce the flame and allow it to simmer for 4-5 minutes so that the sugar syrup gets thicker. Check for one thread consistency.
- Allow this solution to cool for a while.
- It is always advisable to filter the sugar solution so that impurities can be discarded.
- Allow the sugar solution to cool at room temperature.
- Gently crush the saffron threads and add it into the warm sugar syrup. You can skip this step, you can also add some edible orange food color.
- Allow some time, so that sugar syrup get cooled. Meanwhile, start preparing orange juices.
- Peel and finely chop the oranges, scoop out the seeds. Seeds will give a bitter taste to the juice.
- Blend the oranges, until the oranges have been crushed very well.
- Make use of a steel juice strainer to strain all the orange juice.
- Press the remaining pulp for 2-3 seconds, so that the juices are strained completely.
- Mix the orange juice and sugar syrup well in a mixing bowl.
- Orange juice must be immediately added, if you are keeping it for a long time it will give a bitter taste.
- You can store the orange squash in a glass jar and close the lid tightly.
- This squash can be refrigerated and used for 3-4 weeks. The flavor gets better after few days.
To Serve as a drink:
To prepare, a glass of refreshing orange squash take 1/4 part of orange squash and add 3-4 part of chilled water. Mix well.
Garnish with mint leaves or orange slices and enjoy!!
